Al Davis: Behind the Raiders Shield - Hardcover

Jon Kingdon was hired as an intern in 1978 and worked in various capacities. After spending 1979 as head coach Tom Flores administrative assistant, Kingdon moved full time to the Raiders personnel department, beginning in an administrative role and then as a college scout. He eventually became Director of College Scouting in 1993. Al Davis valued the opinion of Kingdon and would ask for his feedback on myriad subjects. It was not uncommon for Davis to call Kingdon at home at all hours with any number of questions about the upcoming NFL draft and issues ranging from who he should hire as his head coach, the movement of the franchise, how he should handle various player issues, who would be the first player taken in the WNBA draft and alerting him to the upcoming Jewish holidays. Kingdon earned a bachelor's degree in English from Oberlin College. During his more than four decades in professional football, Bruce Kebric worked as an assistant general manager, director of player personnel, director of college and pro scouting, assistant director of player personnel and national scout. His player selections and recommendations played an integral role in the teams he worked for appearing in three Super Bowls and seven American Football Conference championship games. The final NFL position for Kebric was with the Oakland Raiders, where he spent 31 years assisting Pro Football Hall of Famer Al Davis not only in the player personnel realm but with coaching hires. He also worked closely with another NFL Hall of Fame selection, Sid Gillman, at the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and the Oklahoma Outlaws of the United States Football League. Gillman is considered the architect of the modern passing game, and he also was the person who gave Davis his first professional football coaching job. Prior to his NFL entry, Kebric was the assistant sports information director at Stanford University, where he had the opportunity to work with and learn from future NFL head coaches Bill Walsh, Dick Vermeil, John Ralston, Mike White and Rod Rust. Kebric additionally has covered sporting events such as the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the World Series, the NCAA basketball championships and the second Sonny Liston-Floyd Patterson heavyweight championship fight. He received a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Stanford University. From 1997-2010, Steve Corkran covered the Raiders on a year-round basis for the Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury News. He also covered the Raiders on an occasional basis before and after he became the beat writer. During that time, he gleaned insight into how owner Al Davis presided over the Raiders and what made the iconic sports figure revered by some and reviled by others. At one point, Corkran approached Davis about an interview for a season preview. Davis politely declined, saying that, I don t think people care what I have to say. He ended the conversation by saying he might tell his story one day, and asked Corkran if he would be interested in writing that book. Both knew each other well enough to realize that Davis had no intention of participating. in an all-encompassing book. From that point, Corkran worked toward finding a way to tell Davis story in as complete a manner as possible. Teaming with Jon Kingdon and Bruce Kebric made that a reality. During his professional career: Corkran covered more than 400 NFL games, including four Super Bowls and the Tuck Rule Game; visited the childhood home of Jon Gruden in South Bend, Indiana, as part of his research for a profile on the Raiders dynamic coach; sat near the overhead projector that Al Davis used to outline the reasons for why he fired head coach Lane Kiffin; and witnessed countless other seminal moments during the Raiders second stint in Oakland.

Advance praise: Steve Corkran is the perfect person to write this book because he has the historical perspective of what worked with the Raiders and what has not worked. He also witnessed many of the seminal moments in the franchise's long and rich history. When you think of the Raiders, you think of Al Davis. When you think of detailing the inner workings of the Raiders, you think of Steve Corkran. -- ESPN sportswriter and reporter whose work earned him an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame --John Clayton

Advance praise: Steve Corkran, I have always felt, is a vital go-to authority on all things Raiders. Over the years, anytime I have had any questions about the team, all I have had to do is pick up the phone and call Steve and he efficiently and authoritatively tells me everything I need to know. There is no one who I feel would be more of an authority figure on this franchise. I will be first in line to buy the book. -- Long-time Sports Illustrated pro football writer --Peter King

Advance praise: Al Davis is one of the most fascinating, complicated and mysterious individuals in American sports history. Only a select few worked closely enough with Al to truly understand him. Jon Kingdon and Bruce Kebric spent decades studying and researching football players with the Raiders owner and knew him on the deepest level, both professionally and personally. In his later years, when Mr. Davis became more guarded with his associations, Jon Kingdon was the one person he trusted to share his deepest thoughts with on the NFL and his beloved Raiders. -- Raiders radio play-by-play announcer from 1997-present --Greg Papa